A cautionary new study from doctors at the Mayo Clinic shows that for folks with arrhythmia, instances of life-threatening cardiac arrest and energy drink consumption often go hand-in-hand., analyzed the medical records of 144 survivors of sudden cardiac arrest with arrhythmias — in short, heartbeat irregularities related to misfiring electrical signals in the body — who were treated at Mayo's Heart Rhythm Clinic.
Altogether, this cohort made up five percent of the total 144 survivors — emphasis on the word survivors, of course, because it's unclear how many people suffer a cardiac event after consuming energy drinks without the link ever becoming known. "Although the relative risk is small and the absolute risk of sudden death after consuming an energy drink is even smaller," said Michael Ackerman, a genetic cardiologist at Mayo, in a, "patients with a known sudden death predisposing genetic heart disease should weigh the risks and benefits of consuming such drinks in the balance.
"Energy drinks are not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration," he added, "so researching the effects that these drinks have on our patients is of utmost importance."Both of the deceased had conditions that put them at higher risk of heart-related death — and one of them, a 21-year-old student named Sarah Katz, suffered from arrhythmia.